They Had Hopes And Possibilities

They had hopes and possibilities when they began their lives together. Everything was ahead of them. They had a feeling, usually not spoken, that their life would be good. Positive family relationships, friends, and experiences, along with good health. And they would continue to be happy with each other. Of course, they were still relatively young. There was a lot they had not yet experienced.

What happened to those hopes and possibilities? What of that future, so many years and eras later? And why this melancholia periodically? Some of their possibilities and hopes occurred in one form or another. Not always the way they expected, but nevertheless in good ways. Of course, some did not happen, and others unexpected occurred. There were also a lot of challenges.

They never anticipated all that they experienced, nothing overwhelming or materially significant; and they weren’t known beyond their family, friends and neighbors. They have a modest life, but great, compared to most inhabitants of the world. They are fortunate and know it — their family, friends, work and homes. And they’ve been able to successfully address the challenges that that have come to them.

The most important element of their life is the ongoing experience of being a parent. It opened them up, and directed them, to experiences they did not expect, and which continue. Having a child, being a parent, will be with them until they die.

Looking ahead they envision a lessening of activity. It’s been occurring for some time. What they now experience has more depth and feeling. Their lives are more about savoring and less about rushing on to whatever the next thing has to be or might be.

They appreciate their life together, and individually. They have done and experienced a lot and feel fortunate that there’s always more that they want to do.

They hope and desire, and expect, that more good will occur. They acknowledge that there will also be more body aches and all kinds of possible illnesses. An inevitability inherent in their existence. They have experienced some of this already. Their human fate. At least they will be together for a while longer. [They hope.]

They continue to be inquisitive. For them life is an exploration and there is a lot to explore. Be it for food, exercise or travel, or exploring their community, or any kind of entertainment. There are also their respective inner lives that also interest them.

Their relationship continues to be vibrant. They deeply care about and appreciate each other. They are mutually comfortable, but not so much that their life is tedious or boring. Maybe this is what love is about.

Sometimes they look back at their life together and wonder how it all came to be. Their meeting each other and all that followed. How they ended up in this house in this part of the world. It was surely not in their minds a very long time ago. Only divine fate can explain it.

Their past takes up space in the present. They think about it, particularly when they see old photos. They wonder at all that has occurred.

There is a bit of melancholy in their life. Sometimes subtle and sometimes acute. An ache in their guts. It seems to come from the ongoing mystery of their lives and all that is unknown and not understood about their existence. They accept that they won’t live forever. Illness and death continue to get closer. There is much that they can no longer do or don’t have the time or resources to do. All of this is aggravated by seeing others of their age facing more illness and lessening activity. Some family members and friends have passed away, more so as the years go by. Someday, eventually, it will be them. While they also relish the immense goodness of their lives today.

Fortunately, there is also more that they want to do today and tomorrow, things that have to be done, or that they’d like to do. Every day they arise and get on with creating their lives in a continuation of hopes and possibilities.

Their life isn’t unusual. It’s the norm for many others, in one way or the other, everywhere. This should not be forgotten. It connects them with life, with the eons of existence past and future. And then one day it will be over for them. But there are innumerable others who will continue with their own hopes and possibilities.